Just a quick update. I was lucky enough to go on a field trip to La Reserva Miraflor on Tuesday with some Peace Corps people.
A beautiful, large piece of protected land northeast of Esteli, communities live in this area and work the land, as they´ve done for years, except now they have certain limitations, as the land is protected.
Upon arriving, we had the chance to talk with a group of cooperative members, who happened to be Sandinistas. They told us their story of the war, as we sat inside the same brick building that these men had hidden out in years ago as contras threw grenades at them, and stared up at the grenade driven hole in the wall.
On a lighter note, we got to hike through mountains, touring and tasting organic fair trade coffee they grow and export.
A later hike through orchid filled forests, a few of us climbed up the center of the trunk of a 30meter strangler fig. A challenging experience for me (especially coming down), it was a lot like what I would imagine rock climbing to be.
And of course the day included lots of bouncing around dirt roads and coming within inches of buses sliding down mud filled roads in the PC land cruisers. Our tech trainer is kind of a crazy driver and likes to drive fast and aggressively, as were all packed into the back of those land cruisers, falling on top of each other, and hitting our heads on the roof. What fun....way better than the cube!
Today we had our last spanish class at our favorite restaurant, La Casita, owned by an english guy who serves homebaked whole grain bread, hummus, homeade yogurt and muesli, and hot chocolate (so yummy). I was even able to buy some garam masala to cook with when I finally get my own kitchen.
Tomorrow is our family despididas as we say goodbye to our training towns and host families.
Saturday a group of us are hiking to a waterfall for a last swim and jumps off a cliff and Monday its off to Managua.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Picures from Site Visit
Views of Sabana Grande.
Kids and I at the "rock".
Sarahi and Orlandito in front of my host family house
Neigbors
Looking up at the "cell phone rock"next to the house with Chile, the horse.
Chile, Orlandito, and Enrique.
03 de Noviembre 2007
Happy Halloween to everyone! Although I didn't get to celebrate here, I explained to everyone what halloween was and got to take part in El dia de Muertes, which was Friday, Nov 2. For Day of the Dead, families visit tombs of their family members in advance and clean and paint them. Then on the actual day, they take flowers to the tombs. Its quite an event with ice cream vendors and lots of people at the cemetary all day, not a somber experience as we would think of in the states.
As for my site visit, it was awesome. I love my new site. It's up in the mountains, with pine trees, sprinkled with banana trees, a few coffee plants, and lots of corn and beans. The people are SOOO friendly and my host family is the best. My counterpart (who is also my host father) is actually not in vet school. He is a farmer of beans and corns, with a few cows, and of course a couple pigs and chickens and a horse. He also is secretary of a coop in the pueblo that gives credit for farmers to buy fertilizer, a project started by a japanese NGO a few years ago, and a student of finance too. Although not in vet school, I did meet the community member that is. We chatted for a few minutes one day, haphazardly running into him at the venta (little store), and he was full of energy and excitement as he told me about his projects building a lab in town and working with women in the community on small family gardens and small animal husbandry.
My nerves for counterpart day and site visit were calmed when I met my counterpart who is very tranquillo and speaks slowly for me and takes time to explain words that I don't understand. After a 6 hour busride last Friday, I stepped off the bus to be greeted by his family anxiously awaiting our arrival. My greeting was filled with hugs and smiles, quite the opposite reception than my training town host family.
My new host family house is beautiful and definately nicer than the house I'm in now in training. Although the amenities aren't all that much better, the cleanliness and attitude of the family make the difference. Still using a latrine, but the smell is masked with daily cleaning. Enjoying bucket baths now that I have four tall walls and privacy. Waiting for the bucket of water to warm in the sun, I take a shower about 11am, standing in the sun, looking up at the trees and bright flowers that surround the patio. It's lovely....I don't think I ever want to take a shower inside again. We sit on plastic chairs in the living room watching TV (yes TV with cable and a DVD player) but it's a quite warm family environment, instead of the training family with three toddlers constanly screaming. Garbage is still thrown on the ground in my new house, but it's neatly swept up everyday and taken to the "trash site". I've finally understand how to sweep a dirt floor with a homemade broom! And the kitchen has a ïmproved stove", which means that the smoke from the wood fire used to cook goes out a chimney instead of filling the windowless kitchen with harmful and dirty smoke.
My site has electricity, running water (every 2 days for a short period of time), is right on the highway with several buses a day, and I have my own room with fully contained walls and a concrete floor. Very nice, considering many of my compañeros slept in the living room with dirt floors and a sheet for a wall.
The first day at my site, I was greeted by all the neighborhood kids who took me to meet all the neighbors, whom are all somehow related to the family, before I could even change out of my pajamas. Then it was a day filled with climbing trees for oranges, jumping creeks, running through bean fields, lessons on the many different ways to say corn, jumping rope, and learning how to play jacks again. All of which brought on tons of laughter by the kids and adults at my mistakes and funny ways of doing things.
Sunday was spent dedicated to evangelical services, of which my host mother and family attends. Kind of crazy and can't say I'm a fan of two 2 hour long services in a day. Lots of screaming and singling loudly and getting down on their knees on the ground. And don't mind the bollo (drunk) staggering around the church. But hanging out at my host mothers families house in between services, I met a lot of the community and a got a chance to get to know them, and them to get to know me. All of which were friendly and welcoming.
The next few days, my counterpart/host father (Orland) took me around town, introducing me to the leaders of town, teachers, nurse, etc, who were all SOOO nice and welcoming. When told I was going to be living there for 2 years, the community leader exclaimed "perfectamente". Many difficult to understand, Orlando explained my role to them and kindly asked them to speak slowly for me. After all my anxiety about not knowing enough spanish, I felt perfectly comfortable and accepted by the community.
My host mother (Maritza) is very talkative and asked me tons of questions, which you can imagine helped my spanish. We talked about everything possible and shared lots of smiles and laughs.
The kids in town are equally wonderful. Everyday they came over after school to hang out with the "gringa"(which I'm starting to accept as my name) and play games or were just happy to have me watch them play games. My last afternoon in the site, I asked them to climb the hill with me to take pictures. The digital camera was an amazing fun toy for them and they excitedly posed for every picture, shouted with joy when the flash went off, and came running to me shouting ënseñeme"(show me) after each picture. We practiced some english and of course they helped me with spanish. By the end of the week, I was starting to understand some of what they were saying when they raced through their words as kids love to do. All the practice speaking with them and my eager and inquisitive host family left me feeling improved in my spanish after 1 week. I can't wait to be there for a few months!
My scene of my departure from my site on Thursday was me standing on the side of the road with my big purple "gringa"backpack waiting for the bus, flanked by about 10 children and the 20 year old neighbor that I've become friends with. Lots of hugs and waves good bye as I boarded the standing-room only American school bus converted public transportation. The 6 hour bus ride home was filled with sweaty people, chickens, and a pile of puke from a sick girl. Not to mention the stop at the bus station where hoards of vendors crammed onto the packed bus, pushing their way through the aisle selling all kinds of things from bread, to plates of chicken, to medicinal creams.
All in all my site visit was wonderful and I didn't want to come back to my training site. But I did and I'm back into the swing of things again. I have only 1 week left here, then it's off to Managua again for 2 weeks, where I'll become an öfficial"peace corps volunteer, followed by an all volunteer conference (all 150+ volunteers in Nicaragua), and thanksgiving dinner at the home of an American PC staff or US embassy home.
Take care all. Till next time.....
As for my site visit, it was awesome. I love my new site. It's up in the mountains, with pine trees, sprinkled with banana trees, a few coffee plants, and lots of corn and beans. The people are SOOO friendly and my host family is the best. My counterpart (who is also my host father) is actually not in vet school. He is a farmer of beans and corns, with a few cows, and of course a couple pigs and chickens and a horse. He also is secretary of a coop in the pueblo that gives credit for farmers to buy fertilizer, a project started by a japanese NGO a few years ago, and a student of finance too. Although not in vet school, I did meet the community member that is. We chatted for a few minutes one day, haphazardly running into him at the venta (little store), and he was full of energy and excitement as he told me about his projects building a lab in town and working with women in the community on small family gardens and small animal husbandry.
My nerves for counterpart day and site visit were calmed when I met my counterpart who is very tranquillo and speaks slowly for me and takes time to explain words that I don't understand. After a 6 hour busride last Friday, I stepped off the bus to be greeted by his family anxiously awaiting our arrival. My greeting was filled with hugs and smiles, quite the opposite reception than my training town host family.
My new host family house is beautiful and definately nicer than the house I'm in now in training. Although the amenities aren't all that much better, the cleanliness and attitude of the family make the difference. Still using a latrine, but the smell is masked with daily cleaning. Enjoying bucket baths now that I have four tall walls and privacy. Waiting for the bucket of water to warm in the sun, I take a shower about 11am, standing in the sun, looking up at the trees and bright flowers that surround the patio. It's lovely....I don't think I ever want to take a shower inside again. We sit on plastic chairs in the living room watching TV (yes TV with cable and a DVD player) but it's a quite warm family environment, instead of the training family with three toddlers constanly screaming. Garbage is still thrown on the ground in my new house, but it's neatly swept up everyday and taken to the "trash site". I've finally understand how to sweep a dirt floor with a homemade broom! And the kitchen has a ïmproved stove", which means that the smoke from the wood fire used to cook goes out a chimney instead of filling the windowless kitchen with harmful and dirty smoke.
My site has electricity, running water (every 2 days for a short period of time), is right on the highway with several buses a day, and I have my own room with fully contained walls and a concrete floor. Very nice, considering many of my compañeros slept in the living room with dirt floors and a sheet for a wall.
The first day at my site, I was greeted by all the neighborhood kids who took me to meet all the neighbors, whom are all somehow related to the family, before I could even change out of my pajamas. Then it was a day filled with climbing trees for oranges, jumping creeks, running through bean fields, lessons on the many different ways to say corn, jumping rope, and learning how to play jacks again. All of which brought on tons of laughter by the kids and adults at my mistakes and funny ways of doing things.
Sunday was spent dedicated to evangelical services, of which my host mother and family attends. Kind of crazy and can't say I'm a fan of two 2 hour long services in a day. Lots of screaming and singling loudly and getting down on their knees on the ground. And don't mind the bollo (drunk) staggering around the church. But hanging out at my host mothers families house in between services, I met a lot of the community and a got a chance to get to know them, and them to get to know me. All of which were friendly and welcoming.
The next few days, my counterpart/host father (Orland) took me around town, introducing me to the leaders of town, teachers, nurse, etc, who were all SOOO nice and welcoming. When told I was going to be living there for 2 years, the community leader exclaimed "perfectamente". Many difficult to understand, Orlando explained my role to them and kindly asked them to speak slowly for me. After all my anxiety about not knowing enough spanish, I felt perfectly comfortable and accepted by the community.
My host mother (Maritza) is very talkative and asked me tons of questions, which you can imagine helped my spanish. We talked about everything possible and shared lots of smiles and laughs.
The kids in town are equally wonderful. Everyday they came over after school to hang out with the "gringa"(which I'm starting to accept as my name) and play games or were just happy to have me watch them play games. My last afternoon in the site, I asked them to climb the hill with me to take pictures. The digital camera was an amazing fun toy for them and they excitedly posed for every picture, shouted with joy when the flash went off, and came running to me shouting ënseñeme"(show me) after each picture. We practiced some english and of course they helped me with spanish. By the end of the week, I was starting to understand some of what they were saying when they raced through their words as kids love to do. All the practice speaking with them and my eager and inquisitive host family left me feeling improved in my spanish after 1 week. I can't wait to be there for a few months!
My scene of my departure from my site on Thursday was me standing on the side of the road with my big purple "gringa"backpack waiting for the bus, flanked by about 10 children and the 20 year old neighbor that I've become friends with. Lots of hugs and waves good bye as I boarded the standing-room only American school bus converted public transportation. The 6 hour bus ride home was filled with sweaty people, chickens, and a pile of puke from a sick girl. Not to mention the stop at the bus station where hoards of vendors crammed onto the packed bus, pushing their way through the aisle selling all kinds of things from bread, to plates of chicken, to medicinal creams.
All in all my site visit was wonderful and I didn't want to come back to my training site. But I did and I'm back into the swing of things again. I have only 1 week left here, then it's off to Managua again for 2 weeks, where I'll become an öfficial"peace corps volunteer, followed by an all volunteer conference (all 150+ volunteers in Nicaragua), and thanksgiving dinner at the home of an American PC staff or US embassy home.
Take care all. Till next time.....
Monday, October 22, 2007
22 de Octubre de 2007
We made it back to our training towns safely last Wednesday and after program interviews in Managua, we had our site assignments last Friday. I received one of the sites that I was interested in and will be placed in a pueblo called Sabana Grande. With 2,000 people, it is a large site for the ag sector here, but I´m hoping it will still feel small. Sabana Grande is in the northern part of the country, bordering Hondurus, in a region called Nuevo Segogovia. I´m about 45km from the department capital of Ocotal.
The community leader, whose family I will be living with the first 6 weeks, just started his first year of vet school. He works with an NGO that supports sustainable and organic agriculture. This same NGO is also located in a site close to mine has had a volunteer working there the last 2 years with a community leader that just completed vet school and built a lab in their village.
So I am looking forward to working with them on animal husbandry projects.
This Thursday I leave for a weeklong site visit and will be staying with this family and learning more about the community. My nerves are getting to me a little, mostly because of my lack of spanish, but I´m reassuring myselft that they will be patient and friendly, and of course the fact that there´s others in my group that are in the same situation as myself.
We´ve been busy making up spanish classes since we returned and although I have a long way to go, it´s improving. We have a new teacher who is awesome and I´m learning so much from her, including the subjunctive. Do you even know what that is in english?
Our youth group decided yesterday to have a surprise despidida (going away party) and we all went to the pulperia and bought ingredients to make nica tacos, including the tortillas from scrath. Nica tacos are pollo wrapped in tortillas and deep fried, of course, with cabbage ensalada, and salad dressing (cream and ketchup) on top. They actually weren´t bad, but super unhealthly, like the fried cheese and french fries I received for breakfast the other day.
I also had a surpise swim in the creek yesterday. When a couple girls in my house asked me if I wanted to go down to the quebrada, I said ¨sure, why not¨, thinking we were just going on a walk. But they kicked off their shoes and joined the other kids swimming in the muddy small swimming hole. Of course I wasn´t wearing my swimsuit but I jumped in anwyays in my clothes and had a good time, until I about froze to death because it really wasnt that warm.
Well, I´m about to miss the last bus, so I will write more when I return from my site visit
The community leader, whose family I will be living with the first 6 weeks, just started his first year of vet school. He works with an NGO that supports sustainable and organic agriculture. This same NGO is also located in a site close to mine has had a volunteer working there the last 2 years with a community leader that just completed vet school and built a lab in their village.
So I am looking forward to working with them on animal husbandry projects.
This Thursday I leave for a weeklong site visit and will be staying with this family and learning more about the community. My nerves are getting to me a little, mostly because of my lack of spanish, but I´m reassuring myselft that they will be patient and friendly, and of course the fact that there´s others in my group that are in the same situation as myself.
We´ve been busy making up spanish classes since we returned and although I have a long way to go, it´s improving. We have a new teacher who is awesome and I´m learning so much from her, including the subjunctive. Do you even know what that is in english?
Our youth group decided yesterday to have a surprise despidida (going away party) and we all went to the pulperia and bought ingredients to make nica tacos, including the tortillas from scrath. Nica tacos are pollo wrapped in tortillas and deep fried, of course, with cabbage ensalada, and salad dressing (cream and ketchup) on top. They actually weren´t bad, but super unhealthly, like the fried cheese and french fries I received for breakfast the other day.
I also had a surpise swim in the creek yesterday. When a couple girls in my house asked me if I wanted to go down to the quebrada, I said ¨sure, why not¨, thinking we were just going on a walk. But they kicked off their shoes and joined the other kids swimming in the muddy small swimming hole. Of course I wasn´t wearing my swimsuit but I jumped in anwyays in my clothes and had a good time, until I about froze to death because it really wasnt that warm.
Well, I´m about to miss the last bus, so I will write more when I return from my site visit
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
16 de Octubre de 2007
Well it´s been an interesting 2 weeks or so since my last entry. I spent 4 days last week at a volunteers site with 5 fellow aspirantes, learning lots of technical skills and just seeing what it´s like in a small community similar to where I´ll be placed. I almost didn´t make it to ¨tech days¨as I finally got sick and spent the Sunday before last throwing up and wishing I had never drank that glass of water at the restaurant the previous night. Since I was one of the very few that hadn´t gotten sick, I started feeling pretty strong and invincible and let my guard down. I was definately regretting it the next day as I was packed onto a hot bus winding around small mountain roads with my stomach full of nacatamales (my first ever here). Luckily I made it home without losing the contents of my stomach, but not without being harrassed by local men making cat calls as I was about to puke.
The next morning I felt much better and made my way to the departing site for our tech days. And of course, what was the first meal served to us there??? Nacatamales (think rice and pork stuffed mushy moist version of a normal tamale). Let´s just say I cant even think of them anymore without feeling slightly naseous.
Anyways, during our tech days we made an improved stove out of mud, horse manure, and bricks, planted a protein bank, made cattle feed from scratch (picking and toasting marango leaves ourselves), went on a scavenger hunt for plants and people, planted coffee trees, vaccinated more chickens, visited a waterfall, crossed MANY quebradas (creeks) knee deep (those Keens really came in handy), attended a community bank meeting, and showered in shorts and a tshirt in front of all the others, while controlling the water with my finger as it shot forcefully out of a pvc pipe coming from the rainwater-caught water tank.
The constant rain that week meant that we were constantly crossing creeks and either covered in mud or wet. I ended the week with Keen shaped dirt stained feet, but well worth it.
All that rain also meant that 24 short hours after returning back to our training towns we were consolodated to the peace corps office in Estelí and told we were all being taken to Managua because of the threat of tropical storms. At that point last Friday it had been raining in Estelí for 15 days straight and a large part of the Pan American highway south of us had crumbled. When I say crumbled, I mean that a huge chunk of highway just fell to the ground like a crater had hit it. So with all that rain and more storms coming in, Peace Corps felt like we were in danger.
We spent the first day and a half at a terrible ¨training center¨ with dorm beds and fried bologne and a hot dog bun for breakfast. But after being in the campo for a month, the running water, dry bed, and cable TV was a luxury for me. But it wasn´t really set up for all 40 of us for a number of days.
So on Saturday they moved us back to the beautiful Best Western hotel that we stayed at the first few days in Managua. I can´t tell you how much I appreciated all these amenities that I missed. I was in heaven with a hot shower, a sink and running water and a mirror, air conditioning, food (oh how wonderful it is to have vegetables, meat, and chocolate cake again), and a dry bed. Back in my training site, the night before I left, my roof started to leak right over my face in my bed, and things were starting to get pretty moist in my room with the leaky roof.
On Sunday, it was hard to believe that we were in the midst of a tropical storm as I layed by the pool and swam all day. Oh I even got to run on a treadmill and use some weights! And to top it off, I watched Gray´s Anatomy, in english, last night!!! It´s funny the things I´m doing here. I never would have enjoyed sitting in a hotel room watching cable TV and drinking crappy sugar filled soda at home, but for some reason, I´m enjoying it now. Maybe because it´s a small luxury that I don´t indulge in often.
Most of us were enjoying our surroundings, but also feeling quite guilty for being gone from our sites and families and living this very lush, un-Peace Corps life.
And now day number 5 here and we´re all feeling ready to go. Word from headquarters is that we will be here until Thursday morning as long as no more heavy storms come in. There has been a lot of damage to the highways from flooding. Semi trucks turned over, bean crops lost, homes damaged, and people injured.
Apparently the precipitation seen from the last storm that came through was equal to the precipitation from Hurricane Mitch. So Peace Corps decision to consolidate us was not for nothing.
And just so you don´t think all I´ve been doing here in Managua is enjoying the good life, peace corps has been keeping us busy with charlas and interviews and language classes.
Today we watched a documentary (in spanish) about teenage pregnancy in Nicaragua and discussed ways that we can help prevent this during our service. Tomorrow we are going to visit the Agricultural college here in Managua to check out their lombriculture program. And Friday we have our site assignments!!! After my interview with my APCD (ag program director) today, I have a good idea of where I´ll be going. I´ll let you all know next week where my home for the next two years will be!
That´s all for now. Hope everyone is doing well back home.
The next morning I felt much better and made my way to the departing site for our tech days. And of course, what was the first meal served to us there??? Nacatamales (think rice and pork stuffed mushy moist version of a normal tamale). Let´s just say I cant even think of them anymore without feeling slightly naseous.
Anyways, during our tech days we made an improved stove out of mud, horse manure, and bricks, planted a protein bank, made cattle feed from scratch (picking and toasting marango leaves ourselves), went on a scavenger hunt for plants and people, planted coffee trees, vaccinated more chickens, visited a waterfall, crossed MANY quebradas (creeks) knee deep (those Keens really came in handy), attended a community bank meeting, and showered in shorts and a tshirt in front of all the others, while controlling the water with my finger as it shot forcefully out of a pvc pipe coming from the rainwater-caught water tank.
The constant rain that week meant that we were constantly crossing creeks and either covered in mud or wet. I ended the week with Keen shaped dirt stained feet, but well worth it.
All that rain also meant that 24 short hours after returning back to our training towns we were consolodated to the peace corps office in Estelí and told we were all being taken to Managua because of the threat of tropical storms. At that point last Friday it had been raining in Estelí for 15 days straight and a large part of the Pan American highway south of us had crumbled. When I say crumbled, I mean that a huge chunk of highway just fell to the ground like a crater had hit it. So with all that rain and more storms coming in, Peace Corps felt like we were in danger.
We spent the first day and a half at a terrible ¨training center¨ with dorm beds and fried bologne and a hot dog bun for breakfast. But after being in the campo for a month, the running water, dry bed, and cable TV was a luxury for me. But it wasn´t really set up for all 40 of us for a number of days.
So on Saturday they moved us back to the beautiful Best Western hotel that we stayed at the first few days in Managua. I can´t tell you how much I appreciated all these amenities that I missed. I was in heaven with a hot shower, a sink and running water and a mirror, air conditioning, food (oh how wonderful it is to have vegetables, meat, and chocolate cake again), and a dry bed. Back in my training site, the night before I left, my roof started to leak right over my face in my bed, and things were starting to get pretty moist in my room with the leaky roof.
On Sunday, it was hard to believe that we were in the midst of a tropical storm as I layed by the pool and swam all day. Oh I even got to run on a treadmill and use some weights! And to top it off, I watched Gray´s Anatomy, in english, last night!!! It´s funny the things I´m doing here. I never would have enjoyed sitting in a hotel room watching cable TV and drinking crappy sugar filled soda at home, but for some reason, I´m enjoying it now. Maybe because it´s a small luxury that I don´t indulge in often.
Most of us were enjoying our surroundings, but also feeling quite guilty for being gone from our sites and families and living this very lush, un-Peace Corps life.
And now day number 5 here and we´re all feeling ready to go. Word from headquarters is that we will be here until Thursday morning as long as no more heavy storms come in. There has been a lot of damage to the highways from flooding. Semi trucks turned over, bean crops lost, homes damaged, and people injured.
Apparently the precipitation seen from the last storm that came through was equal to the precipitation from Hurricane Mitch. So Peace Corps decision to consolidate us was not for nothing.
And just so you don´t think all I´ve been doing here in Managua is enjoying the good life, peace corps has been keeping us busy with charlas and interviews and language classes.
Today we watched a documentary (in spanish) about teenage pregnancy in Nicaragua and discussed ways that we can help prevent this during our service. Tomorrow we are going to visit the Agricultural college here in Managua to check out their lombriculture program. And Friday we have our site assignments!!! After my interview with my APCD (ag program director) today, I have a good idea of where I´ll be going. I´ll let you all know next week where my home for the next two years will be!
That´s all for now. Hope everyone is doing well back home.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Well, here´s a picture from back in Managua during our orientation. I just got a copy of it and thought I´d add it to the blog.
Quick update...my spanish language interview yesterday went really well, I thought. And afterwards, I hung out on the porch of a fellow aspirante, speaking spanish with his family, drinking sugared up coffee, eating galletas, and waiting for the rain to pass to walk home. It was simple, but one of those moments that I´ll remember.
Finished the evening with a walk down the pan american highway in torrential rain after attending a youth group dance party and drinking jugos de guyanaba from plastic bolsas (bags). Good times!
Thursday, October 4, 2007
04 de Octubre
Hello all,
Coming to the end of week five in training and we´re halfway through! I can´t believe its been 5 weeks already. The days are long here, but the weeks fly by.
The last few weeks have been filled with lots of spanish classes with a new facilitator that I love. He´s very laid back and takes all the stress out of learning a new language. Afternoon classes often consist of us walking around and talking about trees and what the chickens and passerbys are doing. Class is now on my front porch and the mornings are always filled with some excitement as small herds of cattle pass by and dogs bark at the men riding by on horseback. I can´t wait to get a horse! (hopefully)
My spanish is coming along, but slowly. Tomorrow we have mid service interviews to access our language ability. Im keeping my fingers crossed and doing some studying too!
Today we had a great day of learning food processing. All hands on, we basically cooked all day, and learned how to use the local plants for medicines and soaps. Also learned about this amazing tree called the moringa. Some examples of its amazing properties....the leaves are edible by both humans and animals and actually taste good. They are high in protein, iron, and calcium (which most Nica diets are lacking). The leaves can be dried and ground up to a powder to add to all kinds of food or can be eaten straight in salads or salsas. The seeds can be used to purify water and the bark can be used to make rope. And the tree grows really fast!
I cant wait to get to my site and start a garden and cook with all these yummy veggies and hopefully turn some other Nicas on to the benefits of vegetables.
We´re in the height of rainy season now and its been pouring most afternoon. Unfortunately my room has a few leaks but nothing too bad. Luckily it leaks everywhere but over my bed and my clothes!
This weekend will be filled with youth group fiestas, nacatamales, and movie night with another youth group!
Last weekend, our small group of 5 in Santa Cruz gave a charla (informal presentation) to our youth group on contraception and sex ed. It went really well and I actually spoke and was able to help answer some questions in spanish. It was really fullfilling to see the teenagers writing down all the information we presented and answer their questions about STDs and fertility. Not a subject talked about much here with youth.
Next week is ¨tech days¨for my group, which means I will be visiting a volunteers site for 4 days and doing all kinds of interesting technical tasks. Looking forward to learning more hands on stuff and being at an actual site.
Take care all.
Coming to the end of week five in training and we´re halfway through! I can´t believe its been 5 weeks already. The days are long here, but the weeks fly by.
The last few weeks have been filled with lots of spanish classes with a new facilitator that I love. He´s very laid back and takes all the stress out of learning a new language. Afternoon classes often consist of us walking around and talking about trees and what the chickens and passerbys are doing. Class is now on my front porch and the mornings are always filled with some excitement as small herds of cattle pass by and dogs bark at the men riding by on horseback. I can´t wait to get a horse! (hopefully)
My spanish is coming along, but slowly. Tomorrow we have mid service interviews to access our language ability. Im keeping my fingers crossed and doing some studying too!
Today we had a great day of learning food processing. All hands on, we basically cooked all day, and learned how to use the local plants for medicines and soaps. Also learned about this amazing tree called the moringa. Some examples of its amazing properties....the leaves are edible by both humans and animals and actually taste good. They are high in protein, iron, and calcium (which most Nica diets are lacking). The leaves can be dried and ground up to a powder to add to all kinds of food or can be eaten straight in salads or salsas. The seeds can be used to purify water and the bark can be used to make rope. And the tree grows really fast!
I cant wait to get to my site and start a garden and cook with all these yummy veggies and hopefully turn some other Nicas on to the benefits of vegetables.
We´re in the height of rainy season now and its been pouring most afternoon. Unfortunately my room has a few leaks but nothing too bad. Luckily it leaks everywhere but over my bed and my clothes!
This weekend will be filled with youth group fiestas, nacatamales, and movie night with another youth group!
Last weekend, our small group of 5 in Santa Cruz gave a charla (informal presentation) to our youth group on contraception and sex ed. It went really well and I actually spoke and was able to help answer some questions in spanish. It was really fullfilling to see the teenagers writing down all the information we presented and answer their questions about STDs and fertility. Not a subject talked about much here with youth.
Next week is ¨tech days¨for my group, which means I will be visiting a volunteers site for 4 days and doing all kinds of interesting technical tasks. Looking forward to learning more hands on stuff and being at an actual site.
Take care all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)